When we went to Mars Hill, I spent every other Sunday volunteering in the children’s ministry. I became friends with the small group that rotated together in the toddlers area. They were funny, caring, real and had mad skills singing kids songs and oddly enough often resembled a human jungle gym. It was a great way to spend the morning, other than the poopy diapers and incessant crying that occured like clockwork by the end of the hour. Funny how having that one Sunday off in between, was enough to make me forget and go back. It’s kinda like giving birth. It’s trying at the time, but about 5 minutes after your done, you’re thinking I could do this again. Well maybe not quite 5 minutes. However, if you have more than one child your “5 minutes” obviously came at some point.
During that time we were down to one vehicle and were really stuck having to drive back and forth to Grand Rapids for work. The cost of repairs was not an option for us at the time. Seeing as how I was close to my co-volunteers, they new this was a struggle for us. On one of those Sundays that I worked, which also happened to be my last, my father-in-law had picked the kids and I up to bring us to church. Before going in I contemplated writing a check for $15 or $20, for the offering. As I started to write it for $15, for budget reasons, I felt this nudging that it should be for $20. So I changed the amount, not out of obligation, just obedience. When the hour ended (actually it was always a bit longer when Rob spoke and the kids knew it!) ,Patrick, our room leader handed me a card and said it was from all of them. Thinking it was a farewell card, I didn’t open it until I got in the car. I was totally shocked when I opened it and there was $500 inside and on top of that, it was all in $20′s. I know your thinking “that was one thick card”!
I later called Patrick to thank him for his generosity and ask him to pass along the message to the others. I ended up talking to his wife, Heather. I told her about changing the amount of my check and how moving that was for me, that it was all in 2o’s. Heather began to laugh, wait until I tell Patrick she said. She continued to share that when he went to the bank, he was handed the money and as he began to walk away, felt that he should go back and have the teller give it to him all in 2o’s.
I gave Him what was His anyways and He gave it back to me tenfold.
A Woolly Daisy in the desert.
